Former South African international Shaun Bartlett has described Wilfred Ndidi as Nigeria’s most crucial player at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), overlooking high-profile stars such as Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi.
Bartlett said the defensive midfielder has been the “unsung hero” of the Super Eagles, playing a vital role that has not received enough recognition during the tournament.
According to him, Ndidi’s performances in the heart of midfield have been central to Nigeria’s success, even though much of the attention has focused on the team’s attacking players.
Nigeria felt the impact of his absence in Wednesday’s semifinal clash against Morocco in Rabat. The Besiktas midfielder missed the match due to suspension after accumulating two yellow cards earlier in the competition.
Without Ndidi anchoring the midfield, the Super Eagles struggled to assert control in the middle of the park. For the first time in the tournament, Nigeria were outplayed in terms of possession, highlighting the importance of his ball-winning ability.
Before the encounter with the Atlas Lions, Nigeria had won all their matches and scored 14 goals on their way to the semifinals. However, against Morocco, the team found it difficult to maintain their usual rhythm.
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The attacking quartet of Osimhen, Lookman, Akor Adams and Iwobi were largely kept quiet as Morocco dominated proceedings, a situation Bartlett believes was largely due to Ndidi’s absence.
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The former Bafana Bafana striker argued that while forwards often take the headlines, Ndidi’s work rate and discipline in midfield provide the foundation for Nigeria’s overall performance.
Bartlett maintained that the midfielder deserves far more credit for his contributions, insisting that he has been Nigeria’s most important player at the tournament so far.
“When we watch Nigeria and Ndidi plays, no one talks about it. We speak about Lookman, Osimhen. Bartlett said on SuperSport’s Afcon podcast.
“It’s the most overlooked position. Even if you look around the world, you see players like Busquets from Spain, Makélélé at Chelsea, or N’Golo Kanté and Roy Keane from Manchester United — they were all doing the hard, dirty work.
“But who ends up getting the praise and the acknowledgment? The attacking players. Yesterday, you could tell they needed someone who stayed calm and was steady.
“We all praised Iwobi for his passes, but Ndidi was doing his part.”
Ndidi scored his first goal for the national team during the Super Eagles’ big win against Tunisia in the group stage of the 2025 Afcon.
